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A Calming Massage


Posted by Mary Ann P.

A study in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management showed that having a massage can lower your tension by up to fifty one percent. Of course if you've ever had a massage you don't need a study to tell you that. What you probably don't know is the reason why it works. A massage soothes muscular strain by boosting blood flow to the muscles. This helps trigger a parasympathetic response in your nervous system. Which means it makes you calmer. It sounds to me like another good reason to pamper yourself. If you don't have time or funds for the full treatment, then squeeze in a thirty minute massage when you can. If there is a massage therapy school near you, that is another great option for getting a less expensive treatment.
 
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I think that the power of therapeutic touch is severely underrated. I'm a huge fan of getting regular massage, but I know it can be really difficult to afford getting treatments on a frequent basis. I think it would be cool to learn to give massages, and maybe have a friend or your partner do the same so you can trade therapies when the stress gets to be too much.
Parasympathetic nervous system is the automatic nerves like heart, blood flow, digestion -- things in the body that operate without conscious effort. Obviously, that is very calming because someone is relaxing and treating that nervous system.
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